Telephony and telegraphy for mining-cages.



J. H. REINEKE. TELEPHONY AND TELEGRAPHY FOB. MINING CAGES. APPLICATIONFILED AUG.24, 1912.

1,098,528, Patented June 2,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I 1' 40 SI 1' M we J. H. RBINEKE. TELEPHONY AND TELEGRAPHY FOR MININGCAGES. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 24, 1912.

Patented June 2, 1914.

% W- 1W M .1. H. REINEKE. TELEPHONY AND TELEGRAPHY FOR MINING GAGES.APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1912.

Patented June 2, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

BOCHUM, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, TO STUDIENGESE'LL- JOSEF HEINRICH BEINEKE, OF

srArs PTE GERMANY.

TELEPHONY AND TELEGRAPHY FOR MINING-CAGES.

Application filed August 24, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnr HEINRICH REI- NEKE,engineer, residing at Graf-Engelbert strasse 33, Bochum, in Vestphalia,Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Telephony and Telegraphyfor Mining-Cages, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus for transmitting signs, especiallyfor telephoning, from and to cages in mines while using the cagehoisting cables as conductors.

It has been previously proposed in connection with hoisting plant to usethe cables thereof as conductors of current, by carefully insulating thecable from the cage, the pulleys and the winding engine, and using it asone conductor, the circuit being completed by a return conductor withwhich the cage is maintained in constant connection by means of acollector. It has also been proposed to use in connection with asparking telegraphic device the hoisting or haulage cable as anelectrical conductor of waves. Both of these arrangements are howeveruseless in practice owing to the necessary careful earth insulation ofthe hoisting cable not being consistent with the practical requirementsof a hoisting plant; the second device is also disadvantageous inasmuchas it only allows of telegraphic understanding, while the use of asparking telegraph apparatus in a shaft is obviously undesirable in viewof the danger of fire damp explosions.

The feature of the invention consists essentially in providing the cablepassing from the cages to the winding engine where it is shortcircuited, with a continuation in the form of a conducting loopsuspended from the cages to the bottom of the shaft, so that a closedcoil is formed which serves the purpose of an induction coil by coactingwith another stationary coil which is arranged in space. In using thecable as an induction coil, the current produced by induction has noinclination to go to earth, since even in the event of the engine or thepulleys over the shaft not being insulated, this will only result in ashort circuit at this point which will insure the passage of electricalcurrents to the cable depending loosely in the shaft.

In all those cases where a lower rope connected to the bottom of thecages and adapted to compensate the weight which already Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Serial No. 718,794.

exists, it is unnecessary to provide a special conducting loop passingdown to the bottom of the shaft, the existing loop being used in lieuthereof. Further, as the transmitting and receiving apparatus on thecages are arranged in parallel to the cage connecting the cable ends, orin other Words, as they bridge the connections of the upper rope andlower rope with the cage, it is also unnecessary to insulate theseconnections of the rope to the cage; such insulations would be in anycase unreliable in wet shafts and would be extremely diflicult to attendto under certain circumstances. This arrangement in shunt is absolutelyreliable in transmitting signs, by reason of the small amount of currentpassing through the bridged part in proportion to the great resistanceat the points of connections of the cable to the cages.

Theoretically the fixed induction coil cooperating with the coilrepresented by the cable, may be arranged anywhere near the latter, itis however advisable to connect the transmitting and receiving apparatusabove ground to an induction coil acting upon the cable underneath therope pulleys. It is then unnecessary to insulate the pulleys althoughthis would not offer any great difficulty, since the whole current willpass along the cable underneath the pulleys whether the circuit isclosed at the pulleys or at the winding engine.

The apparatus necessary for transmitting messages between the cages andabove ground, and particularly for giving calls will be furtherdescribed hereinafter with reference to the apparatus shown in theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings illustrating the invention Figure 1 is a diagrammaticsection showing the general arrangement. Fig. 2 shows the arrangement ofthe transmitting and receiving device in one of the cages to a largerscale. Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of the stationary transmitting andreceiving station as provided above ground for example in the engineroom.

Similar reference characters denote like parts in all the figures.

The hoisting cable 12 carrying the cages 10 and 11 is suspended in theshaft 13 and runs over the pulleys 14 to the winding engine 15. Thelatter may either be provided with a pulley around which the endlessrope travels or with a drum on which the two ends of the rope are wound,in the latter case it is necessary that the ends of the rope fixed tothe drum should be in good conductive connection with one another. Thewinding engine 15 may also be arranged, as is now usual, with pulleydrive in a housing above the shaft 13, in which case of course thepulleys 14 would be omitted. The cages 10 and 11 are further connectedwith each other by a conducting loop 16 which descends to the bottom ofthe shaft, and may also be represented by the known lower ropehereinbefore referred to. The points 17 and 18 at which the rope isconnected to the cage are bridged by a conductor 19 in which is arrangeda source of current 20 and a mi crophone 21. Arranged above groundbetween the mouth of the shaft and the disks 14 is a fixed coil 22, towhich is connected a telephone 23.

In speaking into the microphone 21 high frequency alternating currentsare produced which transmit to the cable loop arranged in seriesthereto. The current produced naturally uses the rope 12, 16 as aconductor, and owing to the closed circuit which practically correspondswith the line of least resistance has no tendency to go to earth. In theevent of a partial short circuit taking place at the pulleys 14, thecurrent will still practically only flow in the rope 12, 16 underneaththe pulleys 14 in the shaft. The induction eii'ects produced by theinduction coil represented by the cable are taken up immediately by thecoil 22 and transformed by the telephone 23 into sound waves.

Figs. 2 and 3 show the form of transmitting and receiving stations asemployed in practice.

The conductor 19 is connected to the haulage rope above the point ofconnection of the latter to the cage 10, and leads to the telephone 24and thence to a switch 25, which, under the influence of a spring orweight, has the tendency to move into the position shown. A conductor 26connects the switch 25 with the terminal 27. Leading from the lowercable 16, below the point of connection 18 of the latter to the cage 10,is a conductor 28 which is connected atthe other end to the terminal 29which is conductively connected by a spring 30 to the bell crank lever31 on which the telephone 24 is hung in the usual manner when not inuse. The microphone 21, connected in the usual manner to the telephone,is connected by a switch 33, similar to the switch 25, to the conductor34 which leads to a battery 20. From the latter a conductor 36 passes tothe housing 37 of a buzzer which is connected by the armature spring 38to the screw 39. The latter is connected by a conductor 40 to theconductor 19. The second pole of the microphone is connected to theconductor 26 by the switch 25. The electromagnet winding 41 of thebuzzer is connected by a conductor 42 to the switch 33, the other poleof the buzzer being connected by a conductor 43 to 28. The conductors 40and 36 are also connected by a condenser 44.

Another conductor 45 leads from the screw 39 to an alternating currentrelay 46- not forming a subject of the present inven tion-the secondpole of which is connected by a conductor 47 to the terminal 48 on whichthe lever 31 rests when in its normal position. The relay 46 isconnected by a conductor 49, to which the battery 50 is connected with asignaling appliance, as for instance the bell 51.

The same arrangement is used for the transmitting and receivingapparatus erected above ground according to Fig. 3. The telephone 23 isconnected by conductors 52 to the coil 22, these parts forming aseparate closed circuit. The microphone 53 is connected by a switch to abattery 55, from which a conductor 56 leads to the frame 57 of a buzzer,the spring armature 58 of which contacts with the contact screw Thence aconductor 60 leads to the coil 61, which is arranged adjacent the coil22 beneath the pulleys 14 and adjacent the cable 12. The coil 61 isconnected by conductor 62 to the terminal 63 which latter is connectedby a spring 64 to the double armed lever 65 carrying the telephone 23.The terminal 66 is connected to the second pole of the microphone 52. Aconductor 67 connects the contact screw 59 to the alternating cur rentrelay 68 whose second pole is connect ed by a conductor 69 to theterminal 70, with which the lever 65 makes contact when in its positionof rest.

The relay 68 is by conductors '71 connected to a battery 72, and a bell73; one pole of the winding 74 of the electromagnet of the buzzer isconnected to the conductor leading to the coil 61, the other pole beingconnected by conductor 75 to the switch 54. A condenser is placedbetween the contact screws 59 and the conductor 56.

The mode of calling and mutual understanding between the cage and theengineroom will now be more particularly described.

CaZZing.By depressing the switch 54 the circuit of the battery 55 isclosed over the electromagnet winding 74 of the buzzer, the coil 61, thecontact screw 59, the spring 58 and the buzzer frame 57. Alternateattrac tion and return of the armature spring 58 results in a rapidsequence of interruptions in the known manner and thereby currentfluctuations in the coil 61. The condenser 76 serves hereby to preventsparking between the contact screw 59 and the spring 58 as well as tocompensate the correspond ing extra. currents. The rapid fluctuations ofcurrentin the coil 61 have an inducing effect on the cable 12, 16. Thecurrent passes hereby from the lower rope 16 through a conductor 28,terminal 29, spring 30, lever 31 to the terminal 48, and thence throughconductor &7 to the relay 46. The latter is connected by conductor 45,contact screw 39, conductors 40 and 19 to the upper cable 12. Thecircuit through the relay 46 is thus closed, and consequently the bell51 is rung.

A call from the cage to above ground is given in exactly the samemanner, the switch 33 being depresed and the circuit closed over thebuzzer 41 to the cage 10 and the cable 12, 16. The electric vibrationsin duced in the coil 61 above ground are conducted over the conductor62, terminal 63, spring 64, lever 65 and terminal 70, conductor 69, torelay 68, the other pole of the latter being connected by conductor 67,contact screw 59, and conductor 60 to the coil again. Actuation of therelay 68 operates the signal applianc'e'73.

001wcrsati0n.-By lifting the telephone 23 oil the lever 65 the spring 64pulls the latter into the position indicated by broken lines, whereby itmakes contact with the terminal 66. By now talking into the microphonethe resultant vibrations will be transmitted by way of the switch54,1battery 55, conductor 56 to'the'frame 57 of the buzzer, and thencethrough the spring 58, contact-screw 59, and conductor 60 to the coil61. The latter is connected by conductor 62, terminal 63, spring 64 andlever 65 to the terminal '66 which is connected to the other pole of themicrophone '53. In this manner a circuitis closed again, so thatvibrations are set up in the coil which have an induction eilect on thecable 12, 16.

Conversation from the cage 10 is efiected in exactly the same manner.The microphone 21 is connected by the switch 33 to the battery 20 andpast the buzzer to the upper cable 12. The second pole of the microphone21 is connected by the switch 25 to the terminal 27 against which thelever 31 is held by the spring 30 after removal of the telephone 24;;the lever 31, spring 20 and conductor 23 make the connection to thelower rope 16. The microphone 21 is thus arranged in the coilrepresented by the cable 12, 16 in such manner that the fluctuations ofspeech are transmitted as electrical excitations to the microphone.

Hcaring.I-Iearing above ground is rendered very easy by the separatecoil 22-, since the connection is direct. The vibrations produced in thecable loop 12, 16 have an inducing ellect upon the coil 22 and can beeasily heard as sound waves in the telephone 23. By reason of it beingdifficult to produce a separate circuit of this description in the cage10, a special connection is provided for hearing. hen the switch 25 isdepressed the current coming from the lower cable 16 through theconductor 28 passes through the spring 30, lever 31 to the terminal 27and into the telephone, thence through the conductor 19 to the uppercable 12. For hearing it is therefore necessary to depress the switch 25and to release the latter. The provision of the separate loop 24 isadapted to prevent as far as possible the currents passing to thetelephone from being weakened, which would be the case should thecurrent vibrations to be received also have to pass through otherappliances. The conductors 19 and 28 are short circuited on the cage 11in order to complete the cable loop while cutting out the resistances ofthe connections of the cable to the cages. This is preferably effectedby providing a switch in the junction box 77 for the transmitting andreceiving apparatus on the cage, said switch being switched off when theapparatus are in-circuit, and adapted when the latter are removed toautomatically short circuit the conductors 19 and 28. 1

It will be understood that the invention isnot limited to the particulararrangement herein described, various modifications being possiblewithout departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

' -I claim:

'1. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive hoisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoistingpulley, said cable and loop constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a stationary coil mounted in proximity to the path ofsaid movable coil, transmitting and receiving apparatus operablyconnected to the movable coil, and transmitting and receiving apparatusoperably connected to the stationary coil.

2. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive hoisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoisting pulley, said cable and loop constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a shunt circuit bridging the cage and conductivelyconnecting the cable and loop at points located beyond the cable andloopconnections with the cage, transmitting and receiving apparatusinterpolable within said shunt circuit, a stationary coil located inproximity to the path of said movable induction coil, and transmittingand receiving apparatus operably connected to said stationary coil.

3. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive ioisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoisting pulley, said cable and loop constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a stationary coil mounted in proximity to the path ofsaid movable coil, a buzzer operably connected to each of said coils,said buzzers being adapted to produce current fluctuations having afrequency that corresponds approximately to the average frequency of thesound vibrations, an alternating current relay in circuit with eachbuzzer, and signaling means operably connected to each relay. 7.

4. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive hoisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoisting pulley, said cable and loop constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a stationary coil mounted in proximity.v to the path ofsaid movable coil, a buzzer, a microphone and an alternating currentrelay in circuit with each of said coils, said buz- Zers being adaptedto produce current fluctuations having a frequency that correspondsapproximately to the average frequency of the sound vibrations, andsignaling means operably connected to each relay.

5. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive hoisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoisting pulley, said cable and loo-p constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a stationary coil mounted in proximity to the path ofsaid movable coil, a switch-controlled buzzer, a microphone and analternating current relay in circuit with each of said coils, saidbuzzers being adapted to produce current fluctuations having a frequencythat corresponds approximately to the average frequency of the soundvibrations, and signaling means operably connected to each relay.

6. In a telephone and telegraph system for a mine cage, a hoistingpulley, a conductive hoisting cable connected to said cage and pulley, aconductive loop depending from the cage and connected to said cage andhoisting pulley, said cable and loop constituting jointly a movableinduction coil, a shunt circuit bridging the cage and conductivelyconnecting the cable and loop at points located beyond the cable andloop-connections with the cage, transmitting and receiving apparatusinterpolable Within said shunt circuit, means for automatically closingsaid shunt circuit upon the removal of said apparatus, a stationaryinduction coil located in proximity to the path of said movableinduction coil, and transmitting and receiving apparatus operablyconnected to said stationary coil.

7. In a telephone and telegraph system for twin mine cages, a pair ofconductively connected hoisting pulleys, a conductive hoisting cableconnected to both of said cages and pulleys, a conductive loop dependingfrom said cages, a shunt circuit bridging each cage and conductivelyconnecting the cable and loop at points located beyond the cable andloop-connections with the cage, and transmitting and receiving apparatusinterpolable Within said shunt circuits.

8. In a telephone and telegraph system for twin mine cages, a pair ofconductively connected hoisting pulleys, a conductive hoistingcable'connected to both of said cages and pulleys, a conductive loopdepending from said cages, said cable and loop consti tuting jointly amovable, induction coil, a shunt circuit bridging each cage andconductively connecting the cable and loop at points located beyond thecable and loop,-

connections with the cage, transmitting and receiving apparatusinterpolable Within said shunt circuits, a first stationary coil and asecond stationary coil, both of said stationary coils being mountedabove ground in proximity to the path of the movable induction coil, amicrophone, a switch-con trolled buzzer and an alternating current relayoperably connected to the first stationary coil, a telephone in circuitwith the second stationary coil and having a removable receiver, andmeans actuated upon a removal of said receiver for connecting the relaywith the micro-phone.

JOSEF HEINRICH REINEKE. L. s.]

Witnesses:

ALBERT NUFER, HELEN NUFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for'five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. O.

